Exam Study Planner in Excel: Countdown to the Exam, Syllabus Progress and a Weekly Study Log

By Ravindra Bagale · Last updated: 17 October 2026

Download the template: exam-study-planner-template.xlsx: example data with real formulas. Yellow cells are inputs you can type over; green cells hold formulas; blue rows are headers and totals. Replace the example data with your own and everything recalculates.

Made-up data: every name, amount, shop and date on this page is made up for practice. Cities are used only to make the examples feel real.

1. The example

As of 17-10-2026, with a made-up exam date of 25-02-2027:

This week she planned 15.5 hours of study and did 13: 2.5 hours short. Maths got 6 hours and Science 5, but English and Marathi got none this week. The sheet shows it without anyone having to say it.

2. Build it step by step

Step 1. Dates

1. In B3 type =TODAY() (the template has 17-10-2026 typed so the example matches).
2. In B4 type your exam date. In B5 type =B4-B3: 131 days (date maths).
3. In B6 type the days you want for revision (20). In B7 type =B5-B6: 111. In B8 type =B7/7: 15.9 weeks.

Step 2. Syllabus table

1. In A10:H10 type Subject, Total chapters, Done, Left, Done %, Chapters per week needed, Status, Hours this week.
2. Type the subjects in A11:A16 and the chapter counts in B11:C16 (yellow).
3. In D11 type =B11-C11 and in E11 =C11/B11 (format as %).

Step 3. Pace and status

1. In F11 type =ROUND(D11/$B$8,1): 0.4 chapters a week for Maths (ROUND).
2. In G11 type =IF(E11<0.5,"Focus","On track").
3. Copy D11:G11 down to row 16. Totals in row 17: =SUM(B11:B16) and so on; E17 =C17/B17: 49%.

Step 4. Weekly study log

1. In A20:E20 type Day, Subject, Planned hours, Actual hours, Difference.
2. Select B21:B27 > Data > Data Validation > List, Source =$A$11:$A$16, so the subject names come from the table (named lists).
3. In E21 type =D21-C21 and copy down. Row 28: totals, E28 =D28-C28: −2.5 hours.

Step 5. Hours per subject

1. In H11 type =SUMIF($B$21:$B$27,A11,$D$21:$D$27) and copy down: Maths 6, Science 5, English 0 (SUMIF).

Step 6. Colours

1. Select E11:E16 > Conditional Formatting > Data Bars, with minimum 0 and maximum 1 so 100% fills the cell (data bars).
2. Select G11:G16 > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To Focus, light red.
3. Select E21:E27 > Highlight Cells Rules > Less Than 0, amber.

3. Formulas used

Every formula above is written in the template, so you can click a cell and see it in the formula bar. All values on this page were recalculated in the file.

4. Common mistakes

1. Not keeping revision days. If B6 is 0, the plan uses every day for new chapters and leaves no time to revise.
2. Typing the subject differently in the log. "Social science" and "Social Science" may look the same, but a spelling change breaks SUMIF. The drop-down from A11:A16 stops this.
3. Data bars without a fixed maximum. With automatic min and max, the best subject always looks full. Set min 0 and max 1.
4. Counting hours only. Hours are effort, chapters are progress. Watch both: Maths got the most hours but is still below 50%.
5. Forgetting to update Done. Update column C every Sunday, or the pace in column F stays the same while the days run out.

5. More real examples

Example 1: Competitive exam plan. Use topics instead of chapters and keep more revision days, for example 45.

Example 2: Office certification. Raja is preparing for an Excel certification: modules in A11:A16 and hours after work in the log.

Example 3: Learning Excel itself. List this course's chapters as the syllabus and track them the same way.

Quick revision cards

Englishमराठीहिंदी

Quick revision

Each card shows formulas from this page, each with an example and its answer from the template. Scan the QR code on a card to open this lesson. All names and numbers are made up for practice.

More cards: Ravi Sir's Cards.

6. Frequently asked questions

How do I count days until an exam in Excel?

Exam date − TODAY(). In the template =B4-B3; format the result as a number, not a date.

How do I calculate how many chapters to study per week?

Chapters left ÷ weeks left before revision: =ROUND(D11/$B$8,1).

How do I make a progress bar for each subject?

Put done % in column E and add Data Bars with minimum 0 and maximum 1.

How do I total study hours per subject?

=SUMIF($B$21:$B$27,A11,$D$21:$D$27) adds the actual hours where the log subject matches.

Can I use it for a whole year?

Yes. Copy the weekly log for each week, or make one long log with a date column.

7. Quick quiz

Ten questions on this page. Sign in to save your score.